English
Reading
Reading underpins the whole curriculum and is embedded throughout both English lessons and through cross-curricular teaching. We want every child to gain the reading skills they need to be able to read independently and for enjoyment.
Pupils start their reading journey as soon as they start school through daily class reading sessions, where staff and children share and enjoy a wide range of high-quality texts as a class.
“Choosey Tuesday!”
Our pupils develop a love of reading through sharing books at home and school with both adults and peers. ‘Choosey Tuesday’ is a dedicated time for children to share and enjoy a range of texts in the classroom and develop a love of reading. Maps, atlases, menus, instruction manuals – whatever your daughter is reading at home – we would love for them to bring it along every Tuesday so that we can read it together!
Pupils are taught to read independently in daily phonics sessions (Twinkl Phonics), which starts in Year 1 and develops until children are confidently able to decode words and read with appropriate fluency.
From their very first day, children are able to access appropriate levels of Collins Big Cats Books and all of KS1 are able to supplement their at-home reading with ‘free choice’ books which the idea of reading for pleasure. These are books that children can read at home with an adult or have read to them to further develop a love of reading. In KS2, children have the option of choosing age-appropriate books to read. The school has a range of texts from Collins Big Cats (Bands 7-18), well-known authors, classic tales, non-fiction texts, playscripts and poetry books. We believe that limiting pupils to choosing unfamiliar books from a narrow level or colour band might not inspire them to read widely and often, and therefore this does not develop sufficiently their ability to read fluently and confidently.
Spoken Language
The recent Ofsted report about oracy is something that we at SHGS also feel very strongly about. Spoken language is developed across the whole curriculum. Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing. Opportunities for oracy are planned to develop spoken language and listening skills such asking and answering questions, using the conventions for discussion and debate as well as improvising and devising drama. Each classroom has Talk for Learning prompts displayed and children are encouraged to use these when asking and answering questions or within class discussions. Below are some examples. High-quality vocabulary is the golden thread that runs through our curriculum and is visible everywhere in the school.
Writing
Teaching of writing develops pupils’ competence in spelling, handwriting and composition, including how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. Pupils are taught how to effectively compose their writing, which involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. Pupils are taught to write with purpose and context, showing an awareness of the audience, and are taught how to use a range of vocabulary and grammar skills.
At SHGS we use the Nelson handwriting scheme.
Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
At SHGS, we value the importance of developing pupils’ vocabulary. We have a whole school focus on deliberate immersion in ambitious vocabulary and this is taught explicitly and when it arises naturally in conversation. Pupils are taught how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words through the root word and the context. Standard English is modelled and expected from pupils in their speaking and writing. Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and through writing lessons, which helps pupils develop and improve their own writing skills.
In Year 2 and Key Stage 2, children benefit from regular fluency lessons, that develop both their cultural capital and ensure they read with prosody, while comprehension skills are developed through Guided Reading sessions, where pupils’ unpick high-quality texts through deep discussion with the teacher. High quality texts drive the English and topic lessons and children are immersed in texts to support all areas of curriculum.
Children also get to attend a Zoom meeting with a local librarian to help them decide which book to pick next!
English Curriculum Intent
In terms of DELIVERING EQUITY, we envisage by the end of Year 6 that our pupils will be confident and fluent readers and writers, equipped with the critical and compositional skills to create, interpret, infer and interrogate texts for meaning. We want our pupils to appreciate and enjoy the power and beauty of language, both spoken and written but also to recognise that language can be used to misinform, promote bias and manipulate the audience. Our pupils’ awareness that all texts have a powerful purpose, will support their transition to higher level study of language and to have greater skill in navigating texts in the wider world.
Our carefully sequenced, broad, and balanced curriculum, underpinned by inclusive practice, aims to provide our pupils with the opportunity to build on their experiences to achieve their goals. We whole-heartedly promote high standards of literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
Through using high-quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary-rich learning environments and ensuring new curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, our children will be exposed to Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, creative and a continuous English curriculum which will not only enable them to become literate but will also develop a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening. Children will develop into confident and articulate communicators of the spoken words. They will be able to express their opinions with clarity, consideration of the listener and a discerning use of a broad range of vocabulary. They will be able to demonstrate excellent listening skills and ask insightful questions.
Progressive layering of knowledge, embedded in long-term memory, scaffolds pupils to:
Recognise and use grammatical features (e.g. word classes, punctuation)
Progress over time from individual word recognition to reading unfamiliar, complex mono-syllabic words
Use a wide and rich vocabulary when both speaking and writing
Apply knowledge of different genres to write effectively and coherently for different purposes
Present understanding and knowledge in different ways (e.g. oral/digital presentation)
Develop knowledge of the writing process (planning, drafting, sharing, evaluating, revising, editing, and publishing) and recognise the importance of audience
Read with fluency, expression, and prosody (rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech
Select, and use with purpose, grammatical features across a range of genres
Select vocabulary for purpose, considering the audience and intent
Write with a legible, confident script and with correct orientation and size of letters in relationship to one another
English Curriculum Implementation
To achieve our intent, our curriculum will provide the following:
Adapted learning and teaching to support those with additional needs, including English as an Additional Language, through the pre-teaching of vocabulary, the use of worked examples as models and a focus on creating cross-curricular links
Adapted learning and teaching to challenge all pupils
Opportunities for children to write effectively for a range of purposes and audiences, selecting the appropriate form and drawing independently on what they have read as models for their own writing (e.g. literary language, characterisation, structure)
An ethos where a ‘love of reading’ is fostered from the outset
A progressive, sequential journey of knowledge, skills and concepts from Year 1 to Year 6, encompassing the depth and breadth of the English curriculum
using high-quality texts, which helps develop learners’ understanding
A focus on subject specific vocabulary to equip children with the language to express their authorial voice with precision and confidence
An appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage whereby learners explore new ways of writing for a wider audience
Explicit links with high quality texts, which provide contextual links
Identified key outcomes, which form the foundation of prior and subsequent learning
Higher order, subject-specific questions to assess knowledge and understanding
Enhanced learning through memorable experiences and visiting experts
English Curriculum Impact
Pupils enjoy reading and writing across a range of genres.
Pupils enjoy reading regularly, for information and for enjoyment, and discuss books with excitement and interest.
Pupils enjoy writing and use the features of different genres and styles and for different purposes and audiences.
Pupils understand a wide range of vocabulary that they use within their writing.
Pupils have a good knowledge of how to adapt their writing based on the context and audience.
Pupils leave school being able to effectively apply spelling rules and patterns they have been taught.
Parents and carers will have a good understanding of how they can support pupils’ reading development at home
Parents and carers will have a good understanding of how they can support spelling, grammar and composition at home
Pupils recognise that language and the written word are powerful tools which used with intelligence, consideration and insight, can change the world.
Pupils leave our school equipped with the skills, knowledge and language to transition successfully to their next phase of education.
